Have a problem with noise? Richmond Hill wants to hear from you
Residents are encouraged to take an online survey -- from Jan. 3 to Feb. 4 -- on what they think is important regarding noises

YorkRegion.com
Jan 21, 2019
Sheila Wang

The Town of Richmond Hill is looking to update its decades-old noise bylaw this year.

Residents are encouraged to take an online survey until Feb. 4 on what they think is important regarding noises, which will be taken into consideration when the town updates the bylaw.

“We plan to present an updated noise bylaw to council by the end of the year,” said Tracey Steele, director of bylaw and licensing enforcement.

Statistics show the bylaw department received a total of 430 noise complaints over the last three years, including 192 complaints related to construction and 97 related to music or parties.

However, these noise complaints are not always effectively addressed due to the town’s outdated bylaw, which was last updated in January 1995.

Polly Chow, one of the complainants last year, had to learn the hard way.

Chow filed a complaint to the bylaw department last March about the thumping music, movies and video games from her next-door neighbours sharing a wall in a townhouse.

Despite her multiple attempts to plead for help, she has never seen any actions taken by the town.

“… it is extremely challenging to lay and prosecute charges regarding noise internal to a dwelling," spokesperson Libbi Hood explained in an email response.

Chow, expecting an updated bylaw would help her family, took no time to fill out the survey as soon as it went live on Jan. 3.

The 13-question survey covers a wide range of noise-related issues, from the use of lawn mowers to the noise of air-conditioners.

Steele said the survey was designed based on consultation with other municipalities and additional research focused on Richmond Hill.

Chow was not very impressed.

“There was only one question about noise internally within a house.”

While the total number of noise complaints has gone down over the last three years, the number of noise complaints related to music and parties went up from 27 in 2017 to 37 last year.

The current bylaw prohibits at all times “the operation of any electronic device or group of connected electronic devices ...” in residential areas, but it does not specify the sources of noise, internally or externally.

The bylaw department also does not differentiate the sources of the noise in its complaint management system.

The existing bylaw was last updated at a time when there was predominantly low-density housing in Richmond Hill. It was less likely that the sound of music or parties would transmit among neighbours.

Nowadays -- especially since the Places to Grow Act, 2005 -- people live closer together as townhouses, condominiums and apartments have become more common to accommodate population growth.

Chow’s family members were not the only residents who have had to endure noise from neighbours, as a number of readers from around York Region got in touch with yorkregion.com about similar problems after the first article on Chow was published last year.

Don Guy, with the bylaw department, told yorkregion.com that the current noise bylaw does not regulate audio noise by decibels, which makes it difficult for the staff to determine “what is an appropriate volume level” for noise in residential areas.

The City of Markham is the only municipality in York Region that currently regulates noises by decibels in residential areas.

Richmond Hill will consider referencing specific decibel levels as one of the options within its review of the noise bylaw, the spokesperson said.